Wood-distilling apparatus.



No.- 658,888. v Pat ented Oct-2, woof c. w. BILFINGER.

WOOD-YDISTILLING.APPABATUS.

(AppIicAtion filed Jan. 27, 1899. (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet No. 658,888. Patented Oct. 2, I900.

y c. w. alumna. W000 DISTILLING APPARATUS.

(Applicafiqn filed Jan. 27, 1899.) (No Model.) 6 Shoots-Sheet 2.

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No. 858,888. Patented Oct. 2, I900. c. w. BILFINGER.

WOOD DISTILLING APPARATUS.

- (Application filed. Jan. 27,1889. (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 3r Tpyz 1-8: mums pzrsns co. mumuwm, menmurdn. a. Q

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C. W. BILFINGER.

W000 DISTILLZINGI APPARATUS.

(Application filed Jan. 27, 1899.)

6 Sheets-Sheet 5.

( No llodel.)

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N0. 658,888. Patented .Oct. 2, I900. C. W. BILFINGER.

WOOD D'ISTiLLING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Jan. 27, 1899.) (No Model.) 6 sheetsrshost 6.

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U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL WILLIAM BILFINGER, OF WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

WOOD-DISTILLING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,888, dated October 2, 1900.

Application filed January 27, 1899. Serial No. 703,604. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARL WILLIAM BIL- FINGER, of Washington, county of Beaufort, and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wood-Distilling Apparatus, of which the followingisa full, clear, and exact specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 11,indicated in Fig.2, and partly an elevascribed improvements in the construction of wood-distilling apparatus, wherebyall the products of the distillationgas, fluids, and solidsare recovered absolutely separated from each other and in condition most suitable for their utilization.

My improved apparatus is designed for carrying on a process of distilling wood which difiers from the processes heretofore used first, in the conduct of distillation, and, second, in the manner of separating the products of such distillation.

In this apparatus the wood is distilled ata comparatively-low heat (not more than 800 of heat or thereabout at any stage of the distillation,) whereby excessive extraction and the partial decomposition of tar and charcoal resulting therefrom are avoided. The tar is separated from the other products of distillation while yet in its primary state and discharged from the retorts before the distillation of the wood is completed. The purpose of doing this is to prevent partial decomposition of the tar by evaporating its volatile ingredients and the mixing of the products of such decomposition with the other products of distillation passing out at the top 'of the retort.

I have found it unprofitable to decompose tar in the process of producing illuminatinggas by distillation of wood. Not only is the gas obtained by decomposing tar of poorer quality, but its purifying requires much more elaborate apparatus and materials not otherwise necessary for purifying of wood-gas. Moreover, by commingling the products of decomposition of tar with the products of distillation of wood also the other by-products, charcoal and turpentine, are detrimentally affected.

Decomposing of tar by distillation requires a considerably-higher degree of heat than the mere distillation of wood and produces,

proportionately, a very much greater quantity of undesirable gaseous substances. These reduce the illuminating capacity of gas and increase the cost of its purification, and, again, tar obtained by distillation of wood not exposed to a high degree of heat is purer and richer in desirable ingredients, rendering it capable of many uses and increasing also greatly its productive capacity for more valuable final products. Still another advantage resulting from maintaining a low degree of heat in distilling wood and removing the tar from the retorts is the better quality of charcoal obtained thereby. It is well known that charcoal if kept in glowing state develops great quantities of carbonic acid and in the same proportion loses its heating capacity. If the tar is decomposedin the retorts, the charcoal is necessarily exposed for a long time to a high degree of heat, and consequently a great quantity of carbonic acid is developed from it, which passes out with the gas, which then requires more effort and expenditure to purify it, at the same time reducing the heating capacity of the charcoal.

The apparatus consists of an oven 0, built, preferably, of masonry, with a furnace H in its base, a series of dues 2, J, J and J arranged between the rows of retorts A and in the inclosing walls, main flue H chimney M, two or more rows of retorts A, conduits 5, main conduit 6, separators B and O, scrubber D, and their connections, outlet-pipes G, tarconduit F, and of the various hereinafter-described auxiliary devices.

Retorts A are preferably cylindrical vessels made of wrought-iron and covered on the outside with jackets 7, of fireproof clay or cemen t. Their tops are provided with charging-apertures al, covered with removable lids 1!) while the distillation is going on and with concaved bottoms, terminating in funnels a, connected by outlet-pipes G with tar-conduit F. Lids 19 are secured in place by braces 10 in a similar manner as the heads of boilers. Outlet-pipes G are closed with plugs or cocks 21 and are opened only from time to time to discharge the tar accumulating in the concaved bottoms of the retorts.

The system of fines is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Flues H R, R, R and R connect furnace H directly with chimney M. Flues 2 are arranged parallel and crosswise around and between the retorts. They are divided in sectionsand provided with dampers 3 and 3, operated by rods 8 from the outside of the furnace. By correspondingly setting these dampers the current of combustive gases flowing from the furnace H to chimney M is directed through the sections of fines 2. The combustive gases may be passed directly to the chimney or through fines 2 around and between the retorts, and thus the heat acting upon the retorts increased or reduced. The flow of the combustion-gasesthrough the oven is indicated by arrows in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings.

A series of air-fines I I J J J &c., (shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, at, and 5,) convey atmospheric air into various parts of the oven, supporting the combustion of the fuel and increasing the efficiency of the apparatus. These air-fines are so located that the air is heated while passing through them. Flue I is laid beneath the furnace in the ash-pit and terminates in the bottom of tnain flue H A branch I of this line passes through bridge-wall K, discharging fresh air into the furnace beyond the grate. The flow of the draft-air through this flue is regulated by damper 9, located beneath the ash-pit door. A second air-flue J is laid parallel with and immediately above the arch of the furnace. This flue divides into branches J J J &c., opening into successive sections of fines 2. The inlet of flue J is provided with a slide, and by increasing or reducing the area of the opening the draft of air through these fines J J J &c., is regulated. The flow of the air through the airfiues is indicated by arrows in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

On starting the fire in the furnace all branches of lines 2 are closed and the smoke and gases pass from the furnace through fines II ,R,R,R ,and B into the chimney M. Then the dampers closing fines 2 are successively opened to let the combustion -gases pass around and between the retorts. Dampers 3 and 3 when turned to open flues 2 close at the same time fines R, R and R thus diverting the flow of combustion-gases to pass into fines 2. Then the supply of draft-air through the oven is gradually increased by opening the slides until the heat is raised to approximately 800 Fahernheit. This highest heat is maintained only when the distilling operation is nearly completed.

Jonduits 5 convey the volatile products of wood distillation through the main conduit (5 into the separator B. Th is separator is a hermetically-closed vessel having an inclined bottom, with a discharge-cock 11 set in its lower point-and connected by pipe 13 with the condensing-separator C. This condensingseparator is also a hermetically-closed vessel, with an inlet at the terminal of pipe 13 and an outlet at the pipe 15. A coiled pipe N, entering the separator C at n and leaving it at if, is connected to a pump, drawing a contin nous stream of cold water through the separator. In place of water any other cooling medium may be used.

Pipe or conduit 15 starts horizontally from the lowest point of the condensing-separator C and branches off vertically toward the scrubber D. Some distance from the separator isadownwardly-poiutingtube l6, branching off of the conduit 15. Through this tube provided with stop-cock 17 the liquid products of condensation are conveyed from separator O to the refining apparatus. The incondensable gas passes through conduit 15 into scrubberD, wherein it is purified in the usual manner by eliminating therefrom carbonic acid and other ingredients afiecting its illuminating quality. Scrubber D is connected by conduit V with a reservoir. (Not shown in the drawings.)

The liquefied by-products accumulating in separator B are not recharged into the retorts or redistilled, as was done heretofore. The heavy oils precipitated in separator B are more valuable when treated separately to recover from them their component elements or to convert them into other substances. They may be used for many purposes in the state as recovered, whereas if they are partly decomposed by reheating similar disadvantages result,as described,with reference to tar.

The gaseous substances passing from separator B into the separator C are not reheated, because the more volatile substances contained therein would be thereby decomposed or brought in a state in which their condensing could not be well accomplished with the simple means provided in the condensingseparator O. The main component of these more volatile substances is pure turpentine, which in a volatile state is capable of absorbing carbonic acid and other carbonaceous gases produced by decomposition of tar or of such heavier oils as are precipitated in separator B. The quality of turpentine would be greatly diminished by such absorption. By distilling wood in the manner described I am able to obtain almost absolutely pure turpentine and illuminating-gas of high efficiency requiring but little treatment to purify ICC the same (hydrateof lime or other similar substances being preferably used for that purpose) to render it almost absolutely pure.

I claim as myinv'ention and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. A wood-distilling apparatus comprising an oven a furnace, smoke and air fines arranged in the oven in sections as herein shown and described, means for diverting the flowof combustion-gases through each section independently of the others; retorts set in the oven and having charging-apertures in their tops; removable lids upon the apertures and means for securing them thereon; funnelshaped bottoms with outlets provided with means for closing the same, for discharging the tar; and conduits for withdrawing the volatile products of the distillation from the retorts.

2. An oven for a wood-distilling apparatus, comprising a furnace, a chamber above the furnace, a smoke-flue from the furnace to the chimney alongside the chamber and separated therefrom by a partition-wall, a series of horizontal walls dividing the chamber into sections, apertures in the partition-wall forming an inlet and an outlet for each section of the chamber; dampers closing the apertures in the partition-wall, and means for dividing the adjoining smoke-flue into compartments corresponding with the sections of the damper.

3. An even for a wood-distilling apparatus, comprising a furnace, a chamber above the furnace, a smoke-flue from the furnace to the chimney alongside the chamber and separated therefrom by a partition-wall, a series of horizontal walls dividing the chamber into sections; air-fines arranged in the horz'ontal' 

